Actress Hanane Motawea expressed her deep happiness about taking part in the film Happy Birthday, describing the experience as one of the most impactful and unique milestones in her artistic journey, due to the film's refined human message and a cause worthy of attention.

In a video call on the show Ma'akum Mona El Shazly aired on ON TV, Motawea said her connection to the film was immediate from the moment it was offered to her by director Mohamed Diab. She said:
"The moment I read the script, I fell in love with it. He asked me, ‘What do you think of the character Nadia?’ I replied, ‘No, I have an opinion about the whole film... I want to be part of this experience in every detail.’”

She went on to affirm her strong trust in the film’s director, Sara Gohar, noting that she predicted her success from the very beginning, saying:
"I told her, ‘If you don’t win Best Debut Work, you’ll at least be among the names that strongly catch people’s attention.’”

Motawea revealed that one of the toughest filming moments involved a scene that required her to enter the Nile River twice. She explained that the first time was in a shallow area full of algae and water debris, while the second was much harder, as it was shot in March when the water was extremely cold.
She added that the scene took several hours due to a sudden camera malfunction:
"We got into the water at noon, and we were supposed to be there for an hour or two, but filming completely stopped because of a camera issue. We stayed in the water until sunset. My limbs were frozen — it was a harsh experience, but I was determined to push through because the scene was so important."

She also pointed out that the Nile’s muddy bottom made movement even more difficult, but she managed to stay focused despite the challenges.

In closing, she praised the production team for taking care of the cast and crew’s health after filming, noting that they provided preventive bilharzia pills following a recommendation from director Sara Gohar:
"Two days later, the production team sent me three preventive tablets — and thank God, it all passed safely."

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